Kalyan Barooah

NEW DELHI, April 4 – In what could add to discomfiture of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), its latest poll partner, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has advocated a tough stand on outlawed ULFA. “In the North-east, insurgents have remorselessly killed and maimed innocent people. The situation in Assam is particularly of concern as the ULFA, which had been all but smashed during the NDA years, has regrouped and rearmed its cadres, and unleashed a relentless wave of terror,” BJP’s manifesto released today by its national president, Rajnath Singh and its Prime Ministerial candidate, L.K.Advani, said.

“The Congress State Government has done nothing to either prevent this violence or punish ULFA; instead, unconditional talks have been offered to the killers!” BJP criticised, quite oblivious to the fact that its new ally, the AGP has been advocating unconditional talks with ULFA to resolve the vexed insurgency problem.

“Any talks with insurgent groups will be conditional and within the framework of the Constitution. The BJP will send out a simple message, loud and clear, to terrorists and their sponsors: they will have to pay a heavy price for each innocent life lost. Retribution will be swift and exemplary,” the manifesto promised.

“Insurgent groups will be dealt with firmly. Simultaneously, the grievances of a section of the youth will be identified and addressed,” BJP said.

A high-powered committee headed by Dr Murli Manohar Joshi has drafted the manifesto. Khiren Rijiju was the lone representative from the NE region in the committee. All senior leaders of the party including Jaswant Singh, Arun Jaitley, and Ravi Shankar Prasad were present today.

Addressing the media, Advani said that a separate agenda for governance of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would be released ahead of the first phase of the polls.

The authority of the state, which has been diminished by the Congress in pursuit of vote-bank politics, shall be restored, it assured.

Ironically, AGP president, Chandra Mohan Patowary had told newsmen in Delhi after finalising the pact with BJP that they have requested the BJP to include certain issues in their manifesto. They were negotiated settlement of the insurgency problem of the region, declaration of flood and erosion as national problems, amongst others.

The land and culture of indigenous ethnic groups will be protected. Flood control in Assam and river water management will receive special attention, BJP’s manifesto said.

As far as the North-east is concerned, the national party’s manifesto has talked of the usual concerns of the region and acknowledged the gravity of the situation arising out of rampant corruption, poor governance and insurgency, besides highlighting the problem of illegal migration from Bangladesh.

Internal security is also imperilled by unchecked illegal immigration across the eastern border. The vulnerability of these illegal immigrants has been time and again exploited by the ISI and its jihadi front organisations.

The Supreme Court has described illegal immigration as an act of ‘external aggression,’ while striking down the IMDT Act. But the Congress, both at the Centre and in Assam, has tried to circumvent the Supreme Court’s judgement through executive orders. The Gauhati High Court last year lashed out at the State Government for doing nothing to stop the illegal immigration, the manifesto recalled.

India is sitting on a tinderbox. The consequences of this unabated illegal immigration are bound to be disastrous, BJP has warned.

The BJP has promised to launch a massive programme to detect, detain and deport illegal immigrants. Punitive measures will be introduced to block illegal immigration. The BJP assured immediate steps to stem the tide of illegal immigration from Bangladesh to Assam and other north eastern states.

The construction of the India-Bangladesh border fence will be completed without any further delay. A special cell will be set up to monitor the detection, detention and deportation of illegal immigrants.

The BJP will launch an innovative programme to establish a countrywide system of multi-purpose national identity cards. The NDA proposes to make it incumbent for every Indian to have a national identity card. The programme will be completed in three years, BJP promised.

The BJP manifesto said poor governance, corruption and insurgency have resulted in the resources-rich NE region lagging behind. The physical distance between the North-east and New Delhi has contributed to the widening of the psychological distance.

New institutions of higher education in engineering and medical sciences will be set up.

Job-generating schemes will be initiated, especially in the services sector to address the problem of unemployment in the region. Tourism and traditional skills-based industries will be given a big boost. Special emphasis will be given to connectivity with and within north-eastern states, the manifesto promised.